The Crown I Will Take From You - Chapter 211
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Part 2, Chapter 58
It was unfamiliar. Everything he offered her.
Affection, kindness, sacrifice—these were all foreign things she had never received in her past life, so she thought that was why her heart felt uncomfortable, as if something was out of place.
That was why his gentle voice and warmth kept lingering at her fingertips.
Medeia’s face became confused like a lost child.
“…Your Majesty? Are you alright?”
“It’s nothing. Continue reporting on the 1st Prince’s news.”
At Neryl’s question, Medeia shook her head.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Her momentarily dazed expression had returned to its usual calm.
“There’s chaos inside and out, but the source of the spark is quiet.”
She was referring to Raju.
“Yes. He hasn’t left the manor. Since both Valdina and the Holy Kingdom have started investigating this attack, we should be able to catch his tail soon.”
Medeia nodded.
“Now it’s time for us to counterattack. We need to reap what we’ve sown.”
* * *
Joachim Estate.
“No—! Not twice!”
As Kensington had reported, Raju was devastated to learn that his scheme had failed.
Jared, a former 10-star general of Kazen, had died while trying to kidnap the Princess of Valdina.
1st Prince Chezare had admitted to killing him, and Duke Castulo had also been summoned to the Empire.
“Why did things turn out like this!”
Why did the 1st Prince save Medeia?
Moreover, Duke Castulo had revealed himself under the pretense of saving Medeia and was dragged to Kazen along with the Head Servant.
Raju felt like he was going insane. He roughly loosened his cravat that felt like it was choking him. He felt suffocated and drowsy.
“Robi, what do I do? What should I—!”
“Please stop—!”
He shouted loudly.
Catherine’s eyes widened. It was the first time Raju had ever yelled at her.
Seeing his lover’s expression belatedly, Raju tried to suppress his anger and spoke in a gentle voice.
“Don’t make a fuss. Okay? Catherine. Don’t panic and let’s carefully assess the situation. If we panic—.”
Even that sounded forced and had no effect.
“Damn it, what I want to say is… Never mind. Cat, we’ll talk later.”
“Robert—”
“Sorry, but I don’t have time to comfort you.”
Raju left Catherine behind and stormed out of the room. He couldn’t trust himself to remain rational.
“Master, this is terrible. Agema is detaining the Kazen Envoy. They say even the Central Trade Office has been seized by the Emperor…”
As Raju roughly closed the door and came out, his subordinates rushed over in a panic to deliver urgent news.
Raju’s face turned pale.
Had the Emperor of Valdina really gone mad?
“Damn it, damn it…”
If his involvement was discovered, he was certain he was a dead man. Whether it was Valdina or Kazen.
He bit his lips anxiously.
If the Emperor sent people to investigate the incident, it would soon be revealed that he had approached Jared.
And if the existence of the black magician behind all this was also revealed?
Raju trembled. He had once seen them performing rituals over Jason’s shoulder.
Being burned alive was considered a merciful death. And it certainly wouldn’t end with just him.
Perhaps even his beloved lover and his precious daughter…
‘What excuse can I make? I barely gained the Emperor’s trust, how can I avoid suspicion?’
The tense atmosphere in the corridor hung heavy and low, unable to bear its own weight.
Due to the current Emperor Cardikas II’s paranoia, Raju had been unable to secure a position for a long time because he was a follower of the Former Emperor.
If it was discovered that he had approached Jared, who had been promoted by the Former Emperor…
Damn it—!
As anxiety spread, impatience turned into anger.
The cause wasn’t just Raju’s inherent problems.
“It’s Monga leaves. Long-term consumption makes one impatient, quick to anger, and eventually prone to explosive outbursts.”
“Neryl, send this to Umberto. Tell him to feed it to Raju.”
It was a gift Medeia had returned to Raju in response to the clear malice he had sent to Peleus.
Though Raju himself had no idea.
“No. There’s a way. Damn it, there must be a solution somewhere, a breakthrough—.”
His prized rationality and judgment had long been corrupted and muddied by the drug.
The anger rising from his chest kept devouring everything in its path.
Then, finally—Bang!
“Master—!”
“Aaaaah—!”
Under the tension and pressure flowing through his entire body, he finally exploded with the emotions he had been holding back and violently punched the wall.
Along with bone-deep pain, red blood slowly trickled down from his clenched fist.
Fine tremors spread from his swollen, reddened knuckles.
“M-Master…?”
Looking at the dented mark in the wall, his subordinates stared at him with shocked, frozen eyes.
* * *
Catherine was equally panicked.
Was that bitch Medeia immortal or something? How did she always slip away like an eel every time?
What should have been a simple matter of Medeia’s downfall had spiraled out of control. It had exceeded the limits of what she could handle.
“I need to see Samon, my son. Where is he?”
Terrified, she instinctively sought out Samon. Her son had always been exceptionally clever, so he would surely come up with a solution.
Catherine, heading to Samon’s bedroom, encountered Mariyu coming out of the bedroom.
“Hello, Madam.”
“Yes. Where’s Samon?”
Catherine tried to brush past Mariyu’s greeting dismissively, but her sleeve was caught.
“Madam, it would be better not to go in right now. He’s in a really terrible mood.”
She said that this morning another servant had been beaten and carried out because of the inflammation in his leg acting up.
“Did he throw another tantrum?”
This wouldn’t work.
Seeing that getting her son’s help seemed unlikely, Catherine sighed with a disappointed expression.
However, without hesitating long, she headed off to seek the next available solution.
“Then, have you seen him?”
“Him…?”
“Hoakin. My husband.”
Mariyu blinked. Her eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings.
“Ah, I think he was in the bedroom earlier. He hardly ever comes out these days.”
“Really? Thank you. Then you take good care of Samon.”
After speaking briefly, she turned around.
Mariyu, who had seen Catherine off, closed the door with a click.
“What’s going on.”
At the sound of the door clicking, Samon sat up.
“Nothing at all. Go back to sleep quickly.”
She patted Samon’s chest.
“Is it already evening? Damn, I’m so sleepy.”
“It’s because of the medicine. Nothing happened, so don’t worry and sleep.”
She answered affectionately while taking Samon’s hand.
“I’ll always be by your side, darling.”
Samon fell asleep again. Listening to his breathing, Mariyu cast her gaze out the window.
“Ahaha. This is hilarious.”
The mischievous laughter that escaped without her knowing disappeared into the darkness.
* * *
Catherine, who had been heading to her husband’s bedroom, soon encountered Raju who had come looking for her.
“Roberto?”
“I’m sorry about earlier, Cat.”
As if he had never been sharp, Raju’s voice had returned to its affectionate tone.
However, his face was still flushed, and the bulging blood vessels at his temples stood out prominently. Cold sweat dripped from his forehead.
She could also glimpse bloodstains on the back of his hand, but Catherine didn’t ask any more questions due to the rising guilt and pity she felt.
“No. I understand. You must be so flustered too.”
Catherine patted Raju’s shoulder soothingly. Despite her disappointed feelings, she realized how much he had comforted her in place of her son and husband all this time.
“Let’s talk to my husband. He might come up with another solution.”
“…Yeah.”
‘Will he really?’
Raju was skeptical, but he agreed that Hoakin would somehow try to stabilize his beloved lover.
Joaquin Claudio was a worthless man who couldn’t come up with any particular schemes in such crises.
However, he was certainly a card that could be used anyway.
‘If the situation doesn’t go well, I’ll have to pin Samon’s crimes on Hoakin too. Since he’s the father, he’ll understand for his son’s sake.’
Unaware of what Raju was thinking, Catherine entered the room where Hoakin was staying together with Raju.
Hoakin’s reception room had a neat and refined atmosphere.
Antique portraits hung on the walls, luxurious carpets covered the floor, and elegant curtains draped down by the window.
However, it somehow felt crude, like a desperate attempt to reminisce about his past as a Regent who once commanded the nation.
“M-Madam? What brings you here?”
The old maid who had been dozing off on the sofa was startled to see Catherine.
The moment she entered the bedroom, she felt something unsettled in the air.
“Where is he?”
“Pardon? Well, I’m not sure.”
“If you don’t know, who would? Isn’t he in his room?”
“W-Well, I don’t know!”
The maid hastily blocked Catherine as she headed toward the bedroom.
“I-I’m not sure, Madam. I did see him in the study earlier though…”
She couldn’t meet her eyes and was sweating profusely, clearly having no talent for lying.
Then, something caught Catherine’s eye. She picked up something glittering on the table.
It was a small pearl earring.
It was too simple for Catherine to wear, and her daughter Virna didn’t like pearls in the first place.
At that moment, a premonition flashed through her mind like a candle being lit.
Catherine spun around before the maid could finish speaking.
“Move aside.”
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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